ALBANY -- Speaking with an eloquence that would be envied by legislators four times her age, 10-year-old Lauren Shields described how organ donation saved her life.

The Long Island youngster was just 7 when a virus developed into degenerative heart disease. Two weeks after being put on cardiac and respiratory life support, she received a donor heart in March 2009.

She came to Albany on Tuesday to support legislation that would require driver's license applicants to answer whether or not they want to become an organ donor -- either "yes" or "not at this time."

"Say yes to saving lives and join us," said Shields, standing on a milk crate to reach the microphone.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. David Carlucci and Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, takes a middle ground between the current Department of Motor Vehicles policy -- which allows applicants to leave the donor checkoff section blank -- and the idea of "presumed consent," by which anyone not making a negative declaration would be taken as a willing organ donor.

Carlucci, D-Rockland County, said he preferred presumed consent, but recognizes concerns about imposing a blanket opt-out requirement. "We're pragmatists, and we'd like to see results," he said.

Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat, said his mother had been the recipient of a kidney transplant, while he feared his son's current cardiac trouble would eventually require a heart transplant.

New York's rate of organ donation is poor, with just 11.1 percent of ID holders registered as donors. Colorado, Iowa and Montana have rates above 60 percent.

If passed, the bill would affect license applications going forward, and would have no impact on existing licenses. The checkoff indicates an individual's wish to become a donor, and has no statutory force in the face of any objections from bereaved family members.

Sens. David Valesky and Jeff Klein, Carlucci's partners in the Independent Democratic Conference, admitted that they weren't currently registered as organ donors -- but said they would be doing so at their next license renewal.

The IDC is calling the bill "Lauren's Law," although Sen. Diane Savino noted that this was one occasion when legislation that comes with a name attached isn't related to a tragic story. "This is not a tragedy, this is a miracle," she said. "One family's tragedy became another family's miracle."